Complete HarpWeek Explanation:This cartoon showcases the importance of the labor vote in the 1908 presidential election by portraying Democrat William Jennings Bryan (left) and Republican William Howard Taft (right) as young boys trying to win the favor of American Federation of Labor president Samuel Gompers, depicted as a cat. Republicans’ ill treatment of Gompers at their national convention and Taft’s reputation as an anti-labor federal judge combined with Democrats’ cooperation with the union president at their national convention and Bryan’s emphasis on the labor issue to induce Gompers to campaign for the Democratic nominee in September.